


Afterglow (Revised ver.)

by Cursed_Dinkus



Category: Be More Chill - Iconis/Tracz
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-12
Updated: 2019-10-12
Packaged: 2020-12-09 12:26:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20994779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cursed_Dinkus/pseuds/Cursed_Dinkus
Summary: THIS IS AN UPDATED VERSION OF THE ORIGINAL FIC.---It's funny what a blackout can do to people.





	Afterglow (Revised ver.)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [playertwoisheereandqueer](https://archiveofourown.org/users/playertwoisheereandqueer/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Afterglow](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14928593) by [Cursed_Dinkus](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cursed_Dinkus/pseuds/Cursed_Dinkus). 

> This is an edited version of the original fic. Now that I'm in a creative writing degree I wanna rewrite that as I go and gague my progress as a writer. That also explains my absence, I'm really sorry! I'll try and upload more over the break.
> 
> Once again this work is dedicated to my best friend Kieran, without him I wouldn't be here writing. Thanks man, I love you <3 
> 
> I really hope you enjoy this!
> 
> -Stephen

Friday: The one night Jeremy looked forward to most. For a short while he could be free from the hellish grip of high school. They were in Michael’s basement, Bob Marley and the smell of weed filling the air. Jeremy wasn’t much of a smoker but sometimes he just wanted to chill out and get stoned in his friend’s basement. It was a shabby yet cozy place. Posters of retro games, obscure indie bands and pin-up girls covered the peeling paint on the walls. A single light bulb hung from the center of the ceiling and illuminated the room. A small TV was placed on top of a cabinet filled with straight-to-DVD films and suspiciously acquired video games. The coffee table that stood in between them and the TV was covered in snacks, drinks and drug paraphernalia. They sat on a battered futon, sharing a joint. The fabric was coming off in places and it functioned poorly as a bed but it added to the charm of the place.

Jeremy took a drag and placed the joint into the ashtray. He had to be careful in his manoeuvre as to not wake up Michael. He was leaning against him in a state of weed-induced sleepiness. The weight against him was comfortable. He felt warm. He couldn’t tell if it was because of the weed or his friend, who was wearing a red hoodie decorated with various patches but the warmth was nice. He flicked the ashes and placed the joint onto the ashtray and leant back. Jeremy closed his eyes and relaxed into him. The music was still going and the joint wasn’t put out so smoke wafted through the air, but to him it was as if the world had stopped spinning and left the two of them in this moment forever. Until Michael stirred from his little slumber, at least.

“Morning, sleepyhead.” He giggled as Michael sat up and gave him a fowl look.

“Shut up assface,” Michael had a long history of dental issues, so along with a pair of neon green braces came a lisp he couldn’t quite get rid of, despite it being a couple of months since they were put on him. “You’re lucky I’m so comfortable right now, otherwise I’d totally beat your ass.” He yawned and stretched himself out onto Jeremy, his head falling into his lap. He was catlike in his demeanour: Sleepy, moody and willing to do whatever it takes to be comfortable, even if it meant getting in people’s way. Jeremy didn’t mind this at all, in fact he found it cute. Michael was never like this when he was high. Normally he’d yammer on about how modern television had turned to shit, the many ways losers like him and Jeremy were actually going to surpass the cool kids one day, and how their lives would change once they got into college. Considering the fact that they were only juniors, high school was relatively nice to them. It was extremely sucky what with the convoluted social politics, incompetent teachers and what not, but it was bound to get worse as they went on so it was generally better to keep a positive outlook on things. His little musing was interrupted by a power outage. Out of nowhere the music stopped and the light had gone off, leaving the two of them in complete darkness. Jeremy jumped in his seat, which caused Michael to get up and look at him.

“You alright dude?” Jeremy nodded in response. Unfortunately, he was a very bad liar so one could easily notice his fear.He was shaking, and he could notice Jeremy's lips going tight. His fear of the dark stemmed from childhood. Like most kids, he feared the monsters that hid under his bed and inside his closet. As he grew older, the closet monsters didn’t scare him as much. It was a given, considering he’d spent that much time in it. How else could he grow up to be so deliciously homo-rific? Unfortunately his parents weren’t exactly the openly supportive type. All they would do is tell him that monsters weren’t real and leave the door slightly ajar so he could sleep a little better. Fast forward some ten years later and Jeremy was still not good at dealing with it.

“I know you’re scared of the dark,” He stiffened.

“You sleep talk, I found out when you slept over one night when we were like twelve. I didn’t realise that was still a thing.”

“I never said that!” Jeremy huffed. He smirked.

“Sorry I’m such a good listener.” Michael laughed. He was somewhat insecure about his braces so he never really smiled in public. If the two of them were around others he’d stick to a smirk and the occasional grin. It meant a lot to Jeremy to see him laugh like this. For a few short seconds the neon green of his braces lit up the room. Their glow was faint but compared to the pitch-black of the basement it was almost as bright as the sun. Jeremy gazed at him.

“Michael…” He trailed off.

“Oh, you didn’t know? These glow in the dark. Cool, huh?” He nodded. “That’s why I chose bright green braces.”

“Oh? So you wouldn’t have picked them if they were normal?” Michael scoffed. “Jeremiah fucking Heere, I am not a lameass.”

“Michael, you’re the biggest lameass I know.” He put a hand to his chest in a display of mock offense and shifted away, before laughing. Once again, the glow returned. He put an arm around Jeremy and pulled him close.

“Hey. It’s gonna be okay. I can’t guarantee that the power will be back on anytime soon, but I’ll protect you. I promise.” Jeremy’s face grew warm, along with his heart. Those words were all it took to alleviate him of the fear he once felt about the darkness.

“Hey, Michael?” Jeremy asked softly.

“Hmm?” He responded. Jeremy paused for a moment.

“Keep smiling.”


End file.
